Apparatus for acrobatic performances.



'Patented Aug. 22,4 1911.

G. J. R'ASGHETTA. APPARATUS FOR AGROBATIG PERFORMANCES.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. l201810.

. Fig. 5 is a` ero,

UNITED srnriswrrnnr OFFICE.

CARL J. RASCHETTA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR ACROBATIC v1EBIEUILlltlNCES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 22, 1911.

Application led August 20, 1910. Serial No. 578,134. I

of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus forAcrobaticPerforrnzuices.-

rlhe object ofiny invention is to substitute for rope, wire, or cable used by tight.- rope and wire perform irs; and means connected therewith whereby hand balancing acts inay be performed not hitherto possible with any means previously used.

The manner in which I accomplish my object is described in the following specification and illustrated in-the accompanying drawings in Whichl3`igure 1 represents my device erected for use With the hand balancing illustrated as perfornied with a` walking stick and a chair. Fig.l 2`is a Vertical sectional view of the stick.` Fig. 3 is ak vertical sectional view ot' the ends of the hind legs of the chair. Fig. 4f is a cross section on the line tw-4- Fig. il. l sectii'ni on the line Fig. 3.4 Fig. (his a top plan view of the standards and ineans connect ed therewith hereiir after described. Fig. 7 is a Yertical elevation oi part shown in Fig. (i. Fig. H is the reverse of the elevation shown in Fig. 7. Fig. ,tl is a` vertical elevation o't` the partsl shown in l `igs. (i, 7, and S.

ln the drawings 1() indicates the. standards 4which are braced nea i the lower ends by the connecting rods Ill. .The upper ends are connected by the plates ll provided with pivotal `bolts 13 which perniit` the standards to be closed when .the connecting rods 11 are disconnected. lhrt'iugn they transverse 'part 1-1 o't' these plates bolts 15 extend. The one. end ot.' this bolt forms a donblehook iti, and 'at the other end "1.7 it` 'is threaded for the nut 1S. Secured to the standards l0 by the pivot bolts l2 is a circular plate 1t) through the center ot which the bolty 15 extends, and is so coni'ufcted by the screws Ztl as to prevent any rotary l'norenient ot the. bolt; v15. On the bolt, 1,5, between the nut it and thc'plate 121s a hook 2.1 to which a cablel brace 22 fis linked. The other ends of these cables are adapted to be secured, by any suitable means, to the ytloor on which the standards rest. Secured in the doublehook 'lois at tempered steel bar ends Q4, Which are adapted to be linked in said double hooks. llxtending vertically through the bar 23 are oblong apertures25 `-suitably spaced to correspond'with the hind legs 2G of the chair QT and for the use of the stick 2S. The chair 27 is of any particular form desired except in respect. to the hind legs l'which are shortened and shouldered atthe ends to support the devices shown in Fig. 3. This device consists of a tube 30 Astrengthened at each end by an ornamental ring Y3l. These tubes are secured permanently on the shouldered ends 'of the hind legs of the chair. Fixed inside the tubes and butting against the shouldered ends of the legs are plugs 32 having a threaded bore Slidably supported in the lower end of theytubes 30 are smaller tubes 34. In the upper part ot' these tubes are disks 35 having a central orifice and radial notches 36. Movably supported in these tubes and extending through t-he disks into the bore of the plugs 32 `are plungers 37. One" end of each of these plungers is threaded for insertion into the plugs and provided with splines 38 adapted to be slidahly engaged y in the radialnotches 36 in the disks. Fixed in the other end of each plunger is a key 39 of tempered steel adapted for insertion in the apertures in the bar 23. The end of each key extends beyond .the end of the plunger a distance slightly less than the ydiameter of the bar Encireling the` plungers are coiled springs 4() which are conipressed between the plugs and disks and are thereby adapted to press the disks onthe head of the plungers as shown in Fig. 3 in which position the curved ends of the tubes Sli. conceal the ends of the keys 39. The ends ot both the tubesand plungers are curved to tit the transverse curve lon the bar 23 on which they are adapted to rest as hereinafter explained.

The stick shown in Q3 provided with T I Fig. 2 consistsofa" y single tube i-1. Telescoped over thetop end of this tube is handle' 42. rvvr rSecured in this handle is a plug 43 ,having a threaded bore and adapted tor-'slide inside the tube 41. Near the center of the length of the tube 4l is Va disk 44 fixed within the tube having a central orifice and radial notches 45. Extending through the disk s a rod 46 thread- 1 ed at each end and provided with splines 47 adapted to slide in the radial notches 45.

One end of this rod is screwed into the plug 43, and the other end into a plunger 5 48. This plunger is slidable in the tube 41 and is provided'with a key 49 adapted for the insertion in the apertures in' the bar 23. Between the head of this plunger and the disk 44 is a short coiled spring 50. Between the disk and the plug 43 are coiled springs 51. These springs are -adaptedto hold the tube normally in the extended position shown in Fig. 2, and to thereby conceal the key '49, The ends ofthe tube and are curved to t the bar 23 when placed thereon.

Having described the constructional de tails of mylinven'tion, I will now describe its use.

y'Thestandards 10 are erected and secured in the extended positions by the connecting rods 11. The cables 22are 'then loosely connected with the hooks 21. The T ends of the bar v23 are then placed in the double hooks 16 and thecables drawn taut. The apertures 25 being vertical, they are therefore not visible. The bar is colored to represent a rope. The performer standing on the bar places'the end of the stick over one of the apertures 25 presses on the handle 42,

and thereby forces the ke 49 into the aperture. The stick is thereby keyed into the bar and thereby held in a vertical position with sutlicient resistance to lateral pressure to enable a skilled performer to raise him,- self thereon, and accomplish the hand balance illustrated by the figure 52. The hind legs of the chair are placed'upon the bar over the apertures spaced therefor and pres- 40 sure applied to the chair by which the keys are pressed into the apertures. yThe resist- Vvance in this ease is torsional, the resistance" thereto secured by' the connection of :the har with the double hooks is sufficient to enable the performer to raise himself f y, 4upon the chair, and balance himself in vari-v .ed to be secured tothe plunger standards adapted to support a metal bar and to prevent a rotary movement thereof, a metal bar having oblong apertures and ends adapted to be held by said means against a rotary moving of said bar, means connected with each of saidstandards adaptfloor or other immovable thing whereby the desired tension on said bar may be secured, and means insertible in said apertures in said bar adapted for the support of a performer as described.

' 2. A device consisting of a metal bar having oblong apertures, means adapted to support said ar in a horizontal position, means adapted to prevent a rotative movement of saidfbar, and a stick consisting of a tube telesco ically secured in a. handle, a key adapted to be. inserted in said apertures in said bar, slidable means in said tube adapted vto hold said key in a normal position within said tube and to permit the insertion of said key in said bar by pressureon said handle, for the purpose described.

3. A device consisting of a-meta-l bar having oblong apertures, means adapted to sup- .n

port said bar and prevent a rotary motion thereof, a chair, the hind legs thereof being provided with telescopic tubes, a key in each of said tubes adapted to be inserted in said apertures in said bar, means in said tubes adapted to hold,said keys normally within said tubes and topermit their insertion in said apertures by the application of pressur` on said chair, for the purposes described. CARL J. nAsCi-IETTA.

Witnesses:

J'ULIUs RUBINSTEIN, THOMASJ. MoRGAN. 

